by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern beat Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl to snap a nine-game bowl losing streak, which was really, really nice â?? really nice for the Wildcats and really nice for the Big Ten, which could use a January bowl win against the SEC.

Such wins are rare since 2010, when the SEC and Big Ten finalized bowl tie-in agreements that pit the two leagues in three games every New Year's Day. Over the last three seasons, the SEC is 7-2 against the Big Ten.

The ugly recent history (for the Big Ten; it's prettier in SEC country):

This is a fairly recent trend, however. While the SEC has ruled the roost since 2006 (and the Big Ten has struggled regaining its footing nationally), the two leagues have played nearly to a draw since the beginning of the BCS era in 1998.